APAAmerican

PsychologicalAssociationQuick Style

Guide

Alexander College Writing & Learning

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

APA BASICS

What To Cite 3Where To CiteGeneral Rules For APA

IN-TEXT CITATIONS BASICS 7

SAMPLE IN-TEXT CITATIONS: BOOKS, PRINT OR E-BOOKSBook With 1 Author 7Indirect Source 8

SAMPLE IN-TEXT CITATIONS: MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS AND JOURNALSSAMPLE IN-TEXT CITATIONS: CLASS NOTES 9

REFERENCES: THE BASICS 10

SAMPLE REFERENCES ENTRIES: Print Book With 1 Author 12E-Books 12Indirect Source

Sample References List 16

APA BASICSFor some classes at Alexander College, particularly social sciences such as psychology and sociology, instructors will ask you to use APA (American Psychological Association) style for citations and bibliographic information (sources page).

Citations are an important part of successful academic writing. ◦ They let readers know that your arguments and claims are backed by reliable research

sources.◦ They also provide your readers information that may be useful for their own research

◦ When writing citations and references, the goal is to provide enough information so that your readers can find the same sources.

This is a Quick Guide to APA citations and references. ◦ It contains information on the basic formatting elements for APA Style papers◦ It contains sample in-text citations and references entries for the resources most

commonly used by students in the sciences and social sciences at Alexander College.

◦ Failure to correctly cite your sources will result in a ‘0’ for your papers and an academic alert.

◦ For more complete information, check out these websites – they are the sources for the information in this booklet:

http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/apa http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/ has an online-tutorial to walk you through how

to do APA style citations.◦ This guide also explains how to cite tables, charts, illustrations and other visual

elements in your papers.

WHAT TO CITE

You must include citations for: ◦ Specific words — these should be in quotation marks.◦ Summarizing (paraphrasing) the ideas of another writer.◦ General ideas or concepts of another writer.◦ Or a particular line of argument, even if you are adding to that line of argument.

WHERE TO CITE

◦ You must put your citations in two places in your paper.◦ First, you must cite your source in the body of your essay.

◦ The information, called ‘in-text citations’ is placed inside brackets.

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The basic format is (author’s LASTname, publication year). E.g.: (Smith, 2014).

Direct quotes must also include the page number. E.g.: (Smith, 2014, p. 45)

◦ Second, your sources are listed in the References list at the end of your paper. ◦ For more information about References entries, see page 10.

If your Instructor gives specific instructions for format or citations, follow his or her guidelines.

FORMATTING RULES FOR APA STYLE◦ The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary is the standard spelling reference for

APA journals and books.

Running Head:

◦ This appears at the top of every page, including your title page◦ In the top, right margin, insert the page number and then type the title of your paper

◦ Note: the running head cannot exceed 50 characters, so you may have to abbreviate your title.

Title Page:

◦ Your title should be centred in the top half of the page◦ It should be typed in upper and lower case letters, not all caps◦ APA titles can take up more than one line, but generally shouldn’t be more than 12

words long◦ Type your name below the title◦ Type Alexander College below your name

Do NOT include the course name, date or your instructor’s name unless your instructor asks you to include that information.

Abstract

◦ The Abstract appears on the first page immediately following your title page.◦ An abstract is a concise summary of your research.

◦ i.e., it is the short answer to the question, “what is your paper about?”◦ Your abstract should contain your research topic, key research questions, the

participants and methods of research (if applicable), results, data analysis, and conclusions.

◦ You may also include possible implications of your research or areas that could/should be the subject of further study.

◦ The abstract is a single, double-spaced paragraph of approximately 150-250 words, depending on your instructor’s guidelines.

◦ The word “Abstract” should be centred at the top of the page in regular 12 pt. type

◦ No bold-faced or italic type; not all caps.

Paper Formatting

◦ Use an easy to read typeface in 12 point font size. ◦ APA recommends Times New Roman Font

◦ Paper should be “Letter” (8.5”x11”), NOT A4◦ Margins should be set at 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.

◦ All pages should have a running header, as instructed above◦ Double-space throughout the body of your essay.

Using Your Sources

◦ Italicize or underline the titles of books, edited collections, movies, television series, documentaries, or albums referred to in the body of your essay.

◦ Put “quotation marks” around the titles of journal articles, articles from edited collections, television series episodes, and song titles referred to in the body of your essay.

◦ The period follows the in-text citation, except in the case of extended quotations.

◦ E.g.: The implications of this study are that, “despite public perception, the crime rate in Canada is actually on the decline” (Smith, 2014, p. 45).

◦ Extended quotations are direct quotations of 40 words or more.◦ They are set out in an indented block as follows:

Start the quote on a new line, indented ½ inch (1.27 cm) from the left margin Omit the quotation marks The citation follows the final period of the paragraph. Like the body of your essay, extended or block quotes are also double-spaced

Example of Extended Quote:

According to Covey (1989) “principles are not values” (p. 35). It is only by our valuing of the right principles that we

have truth. Covey further argues, “Principles are the territory. Values are maps” (p.35). It is the consistency between

our values and principles that makes for effective living:

The more closely our maps or paradigms are aligned with these principles or natural laws, the more

accurate and functional they will be. Correct maps will infinitely impact our personal and interpersonal

effectiveness far more than any amount of effort expended on changing our attitudes or behaviors.

(Covey,1989, p. 35)

◦ For additional help, see a sample APA formatted paper on the Purdue OWL website: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/

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RELIABLE WEB SOURCES

◦ We recommend using the Alexander College database to access online materials.

◦ These sources will include stable URLs and correctly formatted citations. ◦ If you have not used the AC database, it may be more difficult to track your citation.

◦ Often material only appears online for a limited time, and may not be there when you need to refer to it again.

◦ We recommend printing the material so that you have a hard copy to refer to.◦ Use complete URLs or the Digital Object Indicator (DOI), if available, whenever citing

online sources. ◦ Include the date of the last revision (if available). ◦ APA does not require you to include your access date.

FIGURES AND TABLES◦ Figures are graphs, charts, diagrams, illustrations or photographs. ◦ Tables present data in rows and columns.

◦ The key points of information in your tables and figures must be referred to and explained in the body of your essay.

◦ Tables and figures should be placed immediately after the paragraph in which they are mentioned.◦ All entries must be numbered in order, with separate numbers for tables and

figures. (Table 1, 2, 3 etc., Figure 1, 2, 3 etc.)◦ When referring to tables and figures in your essay, use these numbers.

Example: Table 1 indicates the change in … ◦ Each table should have a number and short description flush left above the table. ◦ Every figure must have a number and caption flush left below the figure. ◦ If the tables or figures are from another source, that source must be cited.

◦ Do this by writing Source: followed by the same information that you would include in an in-text citation, minus the brackets.

◦ A full citation must also appear in your References list.

Table 1. Summary of Remediation Process Participation

S

School Term Students Remediation Percentage

Referred CompletedSummer 2013 20 14 70%Fall 2013 18 13 72%Winter 2014 26 15 54%Spring 2014 32 18 56%Summer 2014 13 7 54%

Source: Alexander College Writing & Learning Centre, Vancouver, B.C., Figure 1. Lindsey bat Joseph, Co-ordinatorJune 2014. Source: Angharad Williams, personal photograph.

IN-TEXT CITATIONS: THE BASICSBasic Format for an In-Text Citation:

◦ In-text citations, as the name implies, appear in the body of your essay. ◦ The general APA format is (author’s LASTname, publication year)

E.g.: (Smith, 2014).◦ Direct quotes must be placed in “quotation marks” and include the page number.

◦ E.g.: The implications of this study are that, “despite public perception, the crime rate in Canada is actually on the decline” (Smith, 2014, p. 45).

◦ Note: Some instructors may require you to include the page number even if you are only summarizing or paraphrasing sources.

Your instructor is always the final authority on how sources are to be cited.

SAMPLE IN-TEXT CITATIONS: BOOKS

IN-TEXT CITATION: BOOK WITH 1 AUTHOR, ONLINE OR PRINT

◦ Summary or Paraphrase: (Covey, 1989)◦ Direct Quote: (Covey, 1989, p. 35)

IN-TEXT CITATION: BOOK WITH 2 AUTHORS, ONLINE OR PRINT

◦ When a work has two authors, cite both names every time. ◦ Use an ampersand (&) in your in-text citations.

◦ Summary or Paraphrase: (White & Haines, 2008)◦ Direct Quote: (White & Haines, 2008, p. 35)

◦ Use the word and in the body of your essay. Example: As Smith and Jones (2012) argue ...

IN-TEXT CITATION: BOOK WITH MULTIPLE AUTHORS, ONLINE OR PRINT

◦ Summary or Paraphrase: (Adler, Mueller, & Laufer, 2007)◦ Direct Quote: (Adler, Mueller, & Laufer, 2007, p.99)

◦ When a work has 3, 4 or 5 authors, name all authors the first time the reference occurs.

Example: As has been shown (Adler, Mueller, and Laufer ,2007) this type of testing …

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◦ In the first subsequent citation use only the first author, followed by "et al." and a year. Example: As Adler et al. (2007) further argue …

◦ If you mention the same work again within one paragraph, omit the year. Example: Adler et al. also note that …

IN-TEXT CITATION: EDITED VOLUME/COLLECTION (ANTHOLOGY)

◦ An edited volume or collection (often called an anthology) is a collection of stories, articles, plays, poems etc. by different authors.

◦ Usually an edited volume has an editor or a compiler. ◦ Articles are cited by their individual author, so the same rules apply for in-text

citations as for books noted above.◦ Example: (Anagnost, 1989) or (Anagnost, 1989, p. 211).

IN-TEXT CITATION: INDIRECT SOURCE

◦ Sometimes you may end up quoting an author who is quoting someone else. • In APA, this is quite common as a study you might be using as a research source

will also make reference to studies conducted by other researchers. Cite your source – the book, article, etc. you are working from Also note that it is a quotation, not a direct source.

◦ Example: Seidenberg and McLellan’s (2014) study showed …. (as cited in Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins and Haller, 1993)

IN-TEXT CITATION: GROUPS, GOVERNMENT OR ORGANIZATION AS AUTHOR

◦ Sometimes a book will be published by a government department or by some other organisation.

• The individual writers who produced the book are not listed on the cover. • In these cases, use the name of the agency, organisation, or government who

published the book. ◦ Example:

• Summary or Paraphrase: (Vanier Institute of the Family, 2000)• Direct Quote: (Vanier Institute of the Family, 2000, p. 40)

IN-TEXT CITATION: WEBSITES

◦ Use the author’s last name, if there is an author listed◦ If no author is listed, then use the title of the section of the website, not the title of the

website, you are quoting from• The heading may be shortened if necessary.• Example: Commander Hadfield’s assignment, which started on December 19, 2012, is expected

to last until May 14, 2013 (“Around the Mission”).

IN-TEXT CITATION: DICTIONARY OR ENCYCLOPEDIA

◦ For these references, list the entry’s name in the brackets, along with the publication year.

• Example, we looked up the word ‘hunker’ in the dictionary:While the word “hunker” originally meant "to crouch" or "to squat," its extended meaning is "to settle in or dig in for a sustained period" usually refers to taking shelter or waiting through something unpleasant or difficult (Hunker, 2006).

MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS & JOURNALS

IN-TEXT CITATION: ARTICLE FROM PRINT MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER

◦ In-text citations for print newspapers and magazines are cited exactly the same way as books were cited above.

• Include the author or authors’ last name(s), the publication year, and the page number if it is a direct quote.

Summary or Paraphrase: (Teitel, 2012), (Hutchinson, 2012). Direct Quote: (Teitel, 2012, p. 68), (Hutchinson, 2012, p.A1)

IN-TEXT CITATION: ARTICLE FROM ONLINE MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER

◦ Since page numbers seldom appear in the online versions of print magazines, include the author or authors’ last name(s) and the publication year in the in-text citation.

• Example: (Teitel, 2012), (Hutchinson, 2012).

IN-TEXT CITATION: ARTICLE FROM PRINT JOURNAL OR RETRIEVED FROM ONLINE (DATA BASE)

◦ Citing from print or online journals is handled the same way as newspapers and magazines.

• Include the author or authors’ last name(s), the publication year, and the page number if it is a direct quote.

Summary or Paraphrase: (Thackeray, 2012). Direct Quote: (Thackeray, 2012, p. 542)

IN-TEXT CITATION: CLASS NOTES◦ Unpublished, unrecoverable personal communications, such as personal class notes

are not included in the reference list because they do not provide recoverable data.

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◦ Cite in-text only.◦ APA recommends making a reference to the lecture in the body of your essay.

◦ For example: In a lecture in a Sociology 210 class on July 8, 2014 Dr. Elic Chan noted …. The college administrator agreed that many students were “accidentally plagiarising” because

they lacked a clear understanding of how to cite sources correctly (J. Crandall, personal communication, July 28, 2014).

Remember that your instructor is the final authority.

If there is a specific way/he she wishes sources to be cited then follow your instructor’s guidelines.

REFERENCES: THE BASICS◦ The References list is the complete list of all the sources used in your paper.

• It is placed on separate pages at the end of the paper. ◦ Centre the title (References) and space down twice before starting the entries.

• All the texts in the References list should be double-spaced.• On paragraph settings, set the text to “hanging” by ½ inch (1.27cm) so that the

second and subsequent lines in your entries are indented. (see examples below)

Listing Authors:

◦ Authors' names are inverted (last name first); followed by their initials, regardless of how they are listed on the source.

◦ Example: on a book cover the author may be listed as James Arthur Jones. In References the name will appear as: Jones, J.A.

◦ Sources are listed in alphabetical order starting with the last name of the first author of each work.

◦ For multiple articles by the same author, or authors listed in the same order, list the entries in chronological order, from earliest to most recent.

Example: Smith, J. (1995) … Smith, J. (2001) …

◦ Use an ampersand (&) to indicate more than one author◦ Note in APA style, all authors’ names are inverted in the References list.

Example: White, R. & Haines, F. ◦ Give the last name and initials for all authors up to seven authors.

◦ If there are more than seven authors, list the first six authors followed by an ellipses and then conclude with the name and initials of the last author. Example: a book has been written by Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore, Severus

Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn, Pomona Sprout, Sybill Trelawney, Poppy Pomfrey, Gilderoy Lockhart, and Filius Flitwick.

In References, their names would appear as: Dumbledore, A.P.W.B., Snape, S., McGonagall, M., Slughorn, H., Sprout, P., Trelawney, S., … & Flitwick, F.

Listing Your Sources:

◦ Titles of Journals, Books, Magazines and Newspapers are italicized. ◦ When referring to books, articles, or Web pages, capitalize only:

◦ The first word of a title and subtitle◦ The first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns. ◦ Do not capitalize the second word in a hyphenated compound word

◦ For Journal Titles, use the same punctuation and capitalization that is used by the journal in its title.

◦ Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of individual journal articles or essays in edited collections.

“Parts” of a Standard Journal Entry

Coltheart, M., Curtis, B., Atkins, P., & Haller, M. (1993). Models of reading aloud: Dual-route and parallel-distributed-

processing approaches. Psychological Review, 100, 589-608.

Hansen, B., Skirbekk, B., Oerbeck, B., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Kristensen, H. (2013). Persistence of sleep problems in

children with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Child Psychiatry & Human Development,

44(2), 290-304. Retrieved from: http://184.71.180.254/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=ssf&AN=86177275&site=ehost-live&scope=site

◦ Below we list the sample References entries for the sources we’ve cited above.

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The names of the authors are listed according to how they appear in the journal article. Each author is listed by their last name (family name) and then the author’s initials.

Year of Publication of the JOURNAL the article appears in.

Title of the article: note that it is in regular type and only the first word in the title & following the colon (:) are capitalised.

Title of the Journal: note that it is in italics type and so is the Volume number, while the issue number (if there is one) appears next to it in brackets and in regular type.

Page numbers for the full article, not just the page(s) cited in the body of the essay; also note that even articles from online data bases have page numbers.

‘Retrieved from:’ followed by either the DOI (digital object indicator number) or the stable URL if not DOI is available

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◦ Remember that this booklet is only a Quick Guide for APA Citations. • If you have any questions, consult the Writing & Learning Centre or one of the

College Librarians. ◦ These websites can also help you:

◦ http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx ◦ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ ◦ http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/apa

SAMPLE REFERENCES ENTRIES: BOOKS

REFERENCES: BOOK WITH 1 AUTHOR, PRINT

Covey, S.R. (1989) The seven habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic. New York: Anchor

Books.

REFERENCES: E-BOOKS

Fernald, L. (2008). Psychology: Six perspectives. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. Retrieved from:

http://184.71.180.254/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=474599&site=eds-live&scope=site

◦ For all e-book entries, follow the same pattern for the Reference entry that you would for any print book.

◦ Add ‘Retrieved from’ and the DOI or stable URL for the book at the end of the citation, as in the example above.

REFERENCES: BOOK WITH 2 AUTHORS

White, R. & Haines, F. (2008). Crime and criminology (4th ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

REFERENCES: BOOK WITH MULTIPLE AUTHORS

Adler, F., Mueller, G.O.W., & Laufer, W.S. (2007). Criminology (6th ed.). Toronto: McGraw-Hill.

REFERENCES: EDITED VOLUME/COLLECTION (ANTHOLOGY) ONLINE OR PRINT

Anagnost, A. (1989) Prosperity and Counterprosperity: The moral discourse on wealth in post-Mao China. In A. Dirlik

& M. Meisner, (Eds.), Marxism and the Chinese Experience, .210-234. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.

◦ Note: the editors of this collection of essays are also included in the listing. ◦ ‘Eds.’ is the abbreviation for ‘editors’. ◦ The editors’ names are NOT inverted.

Their initials appear, followed by their last names.

◦ The Reference includes the entire page range of the article, not just the page where the information cited comes from.

REFERENCES: INDIRECT SOURCE

Coltheart, M., Curtis, B., Atkins, P., & Haller, M. (1993). Models of reading aloud: Dual-route and parallel-distributed-

processing approaches. Psychological Review, 100, 589-608.

◦ Note: in the In-text citation, we referred to a study authored by Seidenberg and McClellan. They are not mentioned here, in the References list.

◦ The References list contains our source for the information, not the original study. ◦ The Reference includes the entire page range of the article, not just the page

where the information cited comes from.

REFERENCES: GROUPS, GOVERNMENT OR ORGANISATION AS AUTHOR

The Vanier Institute of the Family (2000). Profiling Canada’s families II. Nepean: Author.

◦ Note: in APA, since the document is produced by the same organisation that publishes it, you are permitted to simply list “author” as the publisher.

REFERENCES: WEBSITE

“Around the Mission.” (2013 February 25). Retrieved from http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/expedition34-35/default.asp

REFERENCES: DICTIONARY OR ENCYCLOPEDIA

Hunker. (2012) Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. Retrieved from: www.meriam-webster.com

◦ For other resources such as print dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesaurus’, the Bible, etc., check the APA style guide at http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/apa or http://owl.english.purdue.edu

MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS & JOURNALS

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REFERENCES: PRINT MAGAZINE

Teitel, E. (2012 October 29). Bullied to death. Maclean’s, 68-70.

◦ Because this magazine is published a few times per month, the full date appears in the brackets.

REFERENCES:ONLINE MAGAZINE

Teitel, E. (2012 October 23) Bullied to death. Maclean’s. Retrieved from: www2.macleans.ca

◦ Note that the digital edition for the same article has a different publication date.

REFERENCES:PRINT NEWSPAPER

Hutchinson, G. (2012 , October 29). Nothing bold at Liberal meet. National Post, A1, A4.

REFERENCES: ONLINE NEWSPAPER

Hutchinson, G. (2012, October 29). Nothing bold at Liberal meet. National Post. Retrieved from:

http://www.nationalpost.com

REFERENCES:PRINT JOURNAL

Gilbert, N. (2012). Thackeray Sturges and the scandal of censorship. PMLA 127(3), 542-557.

◦ In References, give the page numbers for the entire article, even if only one page is referenced in your paper.

REFERENCES:JOURNAL ARTICLE RETRIEVED FROM ONLINE DATA BASE

Hansen, B., Skirbekk, B., Oerbeck, B., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Kristensen, H. (2013). Persistence of sleep problems in

children with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Child Psychiatry & Human Development,

44(2), 290-304. Retrieved from: http://184.71.180.254/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=ssf&AN=86177275&site=ehost-live&scope=site

◦ If there is a digital object indicator for the article (DOI) cite that instead of the full URL.

◦ If no DOI has been assigned for the article then add ‘Retrieved from’ at the end of your entry, followed by the stable URL for the article.

◦ Stable URL’s for all articles on the EBSCO data base may be found by clicking on ‘permalink’ in the icons margin on the right side of the article on-screen.

On the following page is a sample References list for most of the individual sources listed above.

Notice they are now in alphabetical order according to the authors’ last names or the title of the source when no author is listed.

All authors are listed by family name and initials only – no personal names.

Notice that within individual entries, the authors are listed in the order they appear on the cover or title page of the source.

The page is double-spaced.

All entries use a ‘hanging indent’ of 0.5 inches (1.27 cm).

Note which parts of each entry are in italics.

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References

Adler, F., Mueller, G.O.W., & Laufer, W.S. (2007). Criminology (6th ed.). Toronto: McGraw-Hill.

Anagnost, A. (1989) Prosperity and Counterprosperity: The moral discourse on wealth in post-Mao China. In A. Dirlik

& M. Meisner, (Eds.), Marxism and the Chinese Experience, 210-234. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.

“Around the Mission.” (2013 February 25). Retrieved from

http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/expedition34-35/default.asp

Coltheart, M., Curtis, B., Atkins, P., & Haller, M. (1993). Models of reading aloud: Dual-route and parallel-distributed-

processing approaches. Psychological Review, 100, 589-608.

Covey, S.R. (1989) The seven habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic. New York: Anchor

Books.

Fernald, L. (2008). Psychology : Six perspectives. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. Retrieved from:

http://184.71.180.254/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=474599&site=eds-live&scope=site

Gilbert, N. (2012). Thackeray Sturges and the scandal of censorship. PMLA 127(3), 542-557.

Hansen, B., Skirbekk, B., Oerbeck, B., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Kristensen, H. (2013). Persistence of sleep problems in

children with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Child Psychiatry & Human Development,

44(2), 290-304. Retrieved from: http://184.71.180.254/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=ssf&AN=86177275&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Hunker. (2012) Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. Retrieved from: www.meriam-webster.com

Hutchinson, G. (2012, October 29). Nothing bold at Liberal meet. National Post. Retrieved from:

http://www.nationalpost.com

Teitel, E. (2012, October 29). Bullied to death. Maclean’s, 68-70.

The Vanier Institute of the Family (2000). Profiling Canada’s families II. Nepean: Author.

White, R. & Haines, F. (2008). Crime and criminology (4th ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.